Stamp vending machine



ar 1967 J. L. SURBER ETAL STAMP VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 13, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 1 JOHN L. SURBER JOHN L.. .SURBER,JR. EDWARD EANDERSONINVENTORS.

BY EWW A TTORNE Y5 March 21, 1967 J. SURBER ETAL 3,310,211

STAMP VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN L.SURBER JOHN L. SURBERJR EDWARD E. ANDERSON INVENTORS.

arch 21, 1967 J. L. SURBER ETAL 3,310,211

STAMP VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 13, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 35a 28a 28bJOHN L. SURE/5R JOHN L. SUP/BER, JR.

SMW, 7/1 4 RNEYs an}! 1967 J. L. SURBER ETAL 3,310,211

STAMP VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 13, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I I 90aDEL/VERY 'w /92 SWITCH 85 Z 905 v 590. 59 E L KNIFE ACOUMULATOR SOLENOID85 85 97 Q 96 v u 2 I am A] I 2 a, -55

JOHN L. SURBER JOHN L. SURBERJR.

EDWARD E. ANDERSON INVENTORS.

W, gw i ATTORNE Y5 United Statesv Patent 3,310,211 STAMP VENDING MACHINEJohn L. Snrber, 1920 National Bank of Commerce Bldg. 78205; John L.Surber, Jr., 166 Greenhaven 78201; and Edward E. Anderson, 2112Pleasanton Road 78221, all of San Antonio, Tex.

Filed Oct. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 403,514 6 Claims. (Cl. 226-454) Thisinvention relates to stamp vending machines generally, and, moreparticularly, to a stamp vending machine which dispenses one or morestamps from a web of stamps formed into a roll and mounted in themachine.

Such machine moves the stamp web from the roll to the outlet of themachine along a web supporting track. Usually the web is moved relativeto the track a predetermined distance to vend a preselected number ofstamps. The web is moved on the track by a member that moves over thetrack carrying fingers which engage one or more perforations in one ofthe lateral rows of perforations located between the stamps. Theseperforation engaging fingers are pivotally mounted to allow them to moveinto and out of engagement with the perforations and their pivot pointis located so each finger will remain in engagement with any perforationit encounters when traveling in one direction and will ratchet past anyperforation it encounters when traveling in the other direction. In thepast, it has been the practice either to space these fingers accordingto the expected spacing of the perforations in the stamp web, or tospace the fingers a distance less than the expected spacing of theperforations, in adjacent, side-by-side, relationship.

With the first arrangement the fingers would by-pass any row ofperforations that was laterally out of alignment with the fingers. Thismisalignment could result from lateral movement of the web on the track,the fingers on their support, the finger support itself, or anycombination thereof. In addition, the row of perforations may be shiftedlaterally when formed in the stamp web due to machining tolerances inthe perforating apparatus.

With the second arrangement the problem of skipping over the desired rowof perforations was greatly reduced for usually at least one fingerwould be in position to encounter a perforation in the desired row eventhough the location of the perforation shifted laterally.

It is considered desirable to independently resiliently bias each fingertoward the stamp web. This is particularly true in the latterarrangement since the fingers are in close proximity and may besufficiently in engagement to develop enough static friction betweenthem to keep a single individual finger from falling into a perforation.Further, it is desirable to allow as many of the fingers as possible toextend through the perforations they engage to a point below the strip.Otherwise only very small areas on the lowermost parts of the fingersare in engagement with the strip and slight vibrations in the machinecan cause them to jump out of engagement. To allow the fingers to betterengage the perforations, it has been proposed to provide a groove orgrooves in the track into which some of the fingers thereabove couldextend. Where the fingers were spaced apart the same distance as theperforations, a groove was placed in line with each finger. Where thefingers were in side-by-side adjacent relationship and spaced apart lessthan that of the perforations, a single wide groove was provided. Inthis latter arrangement, the resilient means urging the fingers towardthe stamp web could not be used since the unsupported portion of the webover the groove would be forced into the groove by the combined force ofthe Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a stampvending machine that has a plurality of perforation engaging fingersarranged in a row laterally across a stamp web in which enough of saidfingers will engage perforations fully and adequately to insureadvancement of the web with the fingers, when said fingers are moved inone direction along the web.

When vending stamps from a stamp web. roll, the stamps vended must becut off or torn from the web. Tearing otf usually is done by thecustomer; Whereas cutting is done by the machine itself. Unless theportion of the stamp web between the knives and the fingers travelsalong the same path each time, the length cut off will vary. The knivesusually are located adajacent the outlet end of the trackand anybuckling of the web that causes portions thereof to move away-from thetrack will alter the length of the web moved past the outlet be tweenthe :knives.

Therefore, it is another object of this invention to provide a stampvending machine having apparatus that will hold the portion of the stampweb between the means engaging the web to move it along the track andthe outlet.

end of the track in engagement with its supporting track and free ofbuckles, as the stamp web is being moved along the track toward theknives.

Another problem encountered in stamp vending machines of this type isthe tendency of the gummed side of the stamp web, which is in engagementwith the track, to tend to stick to the track. This is a particularlytroublesome problem in machines located where the humidity andtemperature is high. Also, stamp webs occasionally have incompletelyformed perforations with pieces of paper still in the holes that fallout as the web travels along the track. These pieces of paperperiodically build up and interfere with the proper operation of themachine.

It is, therefore, another object and one of the features of thisinvention to provide a stamp vending machine having a stamp websupporting track that provides a' minimum of surface area in contactwith the gummed side of the web to reduce the tendency of the web tostick 1 able distance along the web supporting track to allow theperforations was greatly reduced.

number of stamps vended to be changed by adjusting the distance traveledby the web engaging member.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the thisspecification, appended claims, and attached drawings. 7

This invention will now be described in detail in connection with anembodiment thereof illustrated in the attached drawings, in which;

FIGURE 1 is a side view of an electrically operated stamp vendingmachine constructed in accordance with this invention illustrating themachine approximately midway through a cycle of operation;

FIGURE 2 is a front view, in elevation, of the machine in'F-IGURE 1illustrating the arrangement of the knives employed to cut off thevended portion of the stamp web;

FIGURE 3 is a section view on an enlarged scale taken along line 33 ofFIGURE 1 showing a side view of the crank mounted on the rotating shaftdriven by the electric motor, which engages the spring cam on the arm employed to move the stamp web engaging fingers along the a track;

FIGURE 4 is a view on an enlarged scale taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 1showing how the track supports the portion of the stamp web engaged bythe fingers while allowing a sufi'icient number of the fingers to extendthrough the perforations to ensure positive movement of the web by thefingers and also showing how the fingers are mounted above the web andthe arrangement of the individual spring wires used in this embodimentto resiliently bias the fingers into engagement with the perforations;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating how a perforationengaging finger of the apparatus of this invention can adjust itsposition laterally to move further through the perforation, even thoughone of the web supporting surfaces of the trackis covering part of theopening;

FIGURE 6 is a schematic electrical diagram illustrating a circuitsuitable'for controlling the operation of the machine; and

FIGURE 7 shows an enlarged end view of one of the perforation engagingfingers and the spring wire used in this embodiment to bias the fingerindependently toward the stamp web.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the stamp vending machine illustrated includes avertical mounting plate 10 to which the various components of themechanism are attached. Normally, the plate and the mechanism areenclosed in a suitable case to protect the mechanism and give themachine an attractive appearance. This case forms no part of thisinvention and for clarity is not shown in the drawings. 7

A cylindrical container 11, having a central pin or shaft 12, is mountedon the upper right hand portion of plate 10 to rotatably supportrolled-up stamp web 13. The stamp web comprises an elongated strip ofstamps having a lateral row of perforations between each stamp. The endportion 14 of the stamp web, represented by the dotted line lea-dingdownwardly from the roll, is threaded between rollers 15a and 15b, andextends along the arcuate surface of track 16 to the upper edge ofstationary knife blade 17. The web is resiliently held in engagementwith the upper surface of this knife blade by spring clip 19, which issupported by bracket 20 attached to track 16. The spring clip isattached to the bracket by bolt 21, and, preferably, is wide enough tohold the strip against movement during the cutting operation to insurethat the web is out off square.

In accordance with one aspect of this invention, a track is provided forsupporting the stamp web which keeps to a minimum the surface area ofthe track in engagement with the gummed side of the web and also allowsany debris carried by the web to fall through the track away from itssupporting surface to keep the debris from buildign up and interferingwith the stamp web on the track.

Thus, in the embodiment shown in FIGURE 4, track 16 comprises aplurality of plates a-25m, assembled in side-by-side relationship. Allof the plates have the same shape except the two outside plates 25a and25m and are provided with a longitudinally concave edge surface 24 tosupport the stamp web as it moves from the inlet end of the trackadjacent the stamp roll to the outlet end adjacent the knives. Twogroups of four plates each, 25a25d and 25i-25m, are arranged incontinguous, sideby-side relationship on opposite side of and spacedfrom the four middle plates 25e-25h. Each of the two outside groups hasthree plates 25b-25d and 25i-25k, positioned. to support the outer edgesof stamp web 14 on their concave arcuate edge surfaces. The outsideplate of each group, 25a and 25111 has a portion bent over the supportsurface of the adjacent plates, as shown, to form two opposing arcuategrooves 28a and 28b in which the edges of the stamp Web are confined.These outer plates then restrict the lateral movement of the web andthey keep the stamp web from curling as it moves along the track.

Supporting the span of the stamp web between the two groups of platessupporting its edges are plates 25:2, 257, 25g and 2511. These platessupport the portion of the stamp web engaged by the fingers 26. Thethickness of these plates and the number used are kept to a minimum, notonly to reduce the surface area in engagement with the gummed side ofthe web, but also to reduce the chances that any of the fingers 26 thatextend into perforations 34 to move the stamp web along the track, willengage one of the plates 25. For if a plate is in line with aperforation, it will keep the finger that is in position to engage theperforation from entering completely therein. Further, whenever a fingerhits a supporting plate as it rachets into and out of the perforations,when it is returning to its starting position, the finger will wear awayand become less efficient. Therefore, preferably, the thickness of eachplate is less than the width of a perforation and fewer plates areprovided than there are perforations to insure that at least oneperforation is not located over a plate. For example, with these platesarranged relative to the perforations as shown in FIGURE 4, six fingerscan be located to enter a perforation. The next time the fingers engagea row of perforations, the stamp web and/or the perforations may beshifted laterally, also the fingers can move laterally to some extent,as explained below, so the same fingers may or may not be in position toenter a perforation. With this arrangement, however, some fingers willbe positioned to do so, thereby insuring that the fingers will move thestamp web with each operation of the machine.

The supporting edge surfaces 24 of these plates are rounded or convex incross-section as shown in FIGURES: 4 and 5 to further reduce the area ofthe track in contact with the gummed edge of the web. Further, a trackhaving this latter feature when combined with stamp web engaging fingersthat can move laterally to some extent allows a fin-ger to move into aperforation on occasions even though it engages a supporting plate. Forexample, should support plate 25c be positioned under one side ofperforation 34a as shown in FIGURE 5, so that its stamp web supportingsurface 24a is engaged by finger 26a as the finger enters theperforation; the finger, being free to move laterally to some degree,can move to the left to the position shown by the dotted lines, enterthe perforation, and move the stamp web along with the finger. Supportsurface 24a, being convex in cross section, produces a lateral componentof the normal force between the finger and the support surface to urgethe finger to move later ally. Thus, with this arrangement a perforationengaging finger may enter a perforation and help move the stamp webalong the track even though the perforation lies over one of thesupporting surfaces of the track.

In addition to reducing the surface area in contact with the gummed sideof the web to a minimum, the spaces that are provided between the platessupporting the center section of the stamp web, allow any piece of paperor other debris, that may still be located in a perforation or otherwisecarried with the stamp web, to fall through these spaces to the bottomof the housing of the stamp machine, or out of the stamp machine if thebottom is open, eliminating any possibility of this debris collecting onthe stamp web supporting surface of the track and interfering with themovement of the stamp web. The plates are assembled into a stampsupporting track by extending bolts 29, three of which are used in theembodiment shown, laterally through aligned holes provided therefor inthe plates. The four center plates are spaced from the two edgesupporting groups by spacer washers (not shown) mounted on the bolts andpositioned between these plates to space the plates the desired distanceapart.

Fingers 26 are mounted for independent pivotal movement in side-by-siderelationship on shaft 39 Which is supported by bracket 31. The bracket,in turn, is attached to finger arm 32 by integrally attached threadedstud 31c, which extends through opening 32a and nut 31d. The bracketextends laterally over track 15 to position the fingers to engage theportion of the the stamp web between opposing end faces 33a and 33b ofoutside plates 25a and 25m of track 16'. Preferably, the fingers 26 arearranged on shaft 30 in slightly spaced side-by-side relationship toprovide a nearly solid bank of fingers across a portion of the stampweb. The fingers are slightly spaced to allow the lateral movementdescribed above in connection with FIGURE 5 and the rounded supportsurfaces on plates 25e-25h. The fingers are not held spaced apart agiven distance, but are mounted on shaft 30 so each finger can movefreely laterally to the extent allowed by the adjacent fingers and theopposing faces 31a and 31b of bracket 31. In other words, the distancebetween faces 31a and 31b is greater than the stack height of thefingers by the amount required forthe lateralmovement desired. Thefingers, of course, constantly change the distribution of this spacebetween them as they move back and forth over the strip. In thecommercial embodiment of this invention, for example, the stack heightof the fingers is about .600 inch, there being 30 fingers, .020 inchthick and the space between faces 31a and 31b is .625 inch. This gives.025 inch to be distributed between the fingers.

Preferably, each finger has as its maximum thickness the thickness ofthe portion of the finger adapted to enter a perforation. Obviously,this simplifies their manufacture. Further, it allows the perforationengaging portions of the fingers to move laterally into and out ofengagement with the perforation engaging portions of the adjacentfingers and take advantage of all the space allocated for lateralmovement of the fingers. In the embodiment shown in the drawings,fingers 26 are formed out of fiat plate having a thickness of less thanthe diameter of perforations 34 in the stamp web. Each finger isprovided with a relatively sharp pointed wedge-shaped tip 27 to engagethe stamp web and to enter each perforation it encounters. The angle thesides make with each other at the pointed end of the tip determines howfar the tip can enter a perforation of a given diameter. a

In accordance with another aspect of this invention each stamp webengaging finger is biased independently into engagement with the stampweb. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, each finger has attachedto it a single strand of resilient wire 35 extending upwardly therefrom.As shown in FIGURE 7, the spring wires are attached to the fingers byinserting the wires into a hole drilled in the top surface of the fingerand soldering, welding, or otherwise attaching them therein. With thisarrangement, each wire is located between the upward projections of thesides of the finger to which it is attached and does not interfere withthe lateral movement of the finger.

Each strand of wire is initially straight but is deflected laterally, inthe manner shown in FIGURE 1, by pin 36 when the fingers are assembledon supporting arm 32. This slight curvature imposed in the wires, one ofwhich is associated with each finger 26, results in a downward resilientforce being exerted on each finger biasing it into engagement with stampweb 14. Thus, a positive force is provided that acts on each fingerindependently to insure that the finger will move into any perforationit encounters as it travels along the stamp web, regardless of what theadjacent fingers do or fail to do.

If at least one of the fingers encounters a perforation as the fingersupporting arm 32 moves clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 1, the finger willcarry the stamp web along with it. When the arm is movingcounterclockwise, as viewed in FIGURE 1, each finger will rachet intoand out of any perforation it should encounter 6 in the stamp web. Thus,by oscillating arm 32 so tha the fingers move parallel to the supportingsurface of track 16 and in engagement with end portion 14 of the stampweb supported thereon, the stamp web will be moved relative to the trackupon each clockwise swing of the arm.

As explained above, it is important to prevent the web from buckling orotherwise moving away from the track, as it is moved along the track toinsure that the same length of web is moved through the knives each timethe machine operates. It has been found that this can be done with thevery force that causes the web to buckle. Buckling, of course, resultswhen something ahead of the web moving means resists the movement of theweb. In accordance with this invention then, means are provided to holdin compression the portion of the stamp web between the web engagingfingers and the outlet end of the track, thereby urging this portion tobuckle. Since this portion is already curved along the track, however,it will buckle or how due to the compressive force, in the direction ofthe track causing it to engage the track all along its length as ittravels toward the knives.

In the embodiment illustrated this is accomplished by spring clip 19.The clip holds stamp web 14 in engagement with the top of stationaryknife blade 17 adjacent the outlet end of the track with a constantuniform resilient force. This normal force results in frictional forcesbetween the stamp web and the knife and between the web and the clipthat resist movement of the web in either direction relative to the clipand knife blade. Thus when arm 32 and fingers 26 start to move the stampweb toward the clip and knife blade, the portion of the web therebetweenwill be placed in compression. This causes the stamp web to tend to bowand buckle, but as explained above, since it is already curved along theconcave supporting surface of track 16, it will bow in the direction ofthe track and be held in engagement therewith.

These same frictional forces produced by spring clip 19, also, serve tohold the stamp web against retrograde movement or movement away from theknives as fingers 26 move back to their original position.

Arm 32 is pivotally mounted on bushing 40 which is attached to mountingplate 10 as shown in FIGURE 3. The bushing is positioned so fingers 2 6will move along the arcuate surface of track 16 as arm 32' oscillates.The arm is held on bushing 40 by retaining nut'40a.

Adjustable stop meansare provided to determine the angle through whicharm 32 oscillates which in turn determines the number of stamps vendedper oscillation. A frontstop 41 and a back stop 42 are provided whichcomprise two L-shaped plates having legs 41b and 42b removably mountedto mounting plate 10 with the other legs 41a and 42a extending laterallyout from the mounting plate in the path of arm 32. Mounted in legs 41aand 42a are adjusting screws 43 and 44 respectively. Both of thesescrews are held in the desired position by nuts and can be used to makeadjustments in the distance through which arm 32 can oscillate asrequired to locate the web so the knives out along a row ofperforations. Mounting plate It) also is provided with a plurality ofholes 37 to allow the rear stop 42 to be moved to change the length oftravel of arm 32 along track 16 to change the length of web, i.e., thenumber of stamps vended. As shown in FIGURE 1, the stop means arelocated to allow the arm to travel substantially over the entire stampsupporting surface of track 16.

In accordance with yet another aspect of this invention, means areprovided for rotating a pivotally mounted arm a predetermined adjustabledistance by a rotating shaft that rotates through substantially the sameangle in the same direction with each rotation of the arm. The stampvending machine shown in the drawings is electrically operated, powerbeing supplied to drive the mechanism by '27 electric motor'45. Outputshaft 46 of the motor drives shaft 47 through speed reducer 48 (FIGURE2). As shown in FIGURE 3, shaft 47 extends from the speed reducerthrough mounting plate 10 and bushing 40 which acts as a radial bearingfor the shaft.

Attached to the end of the shaft is double ended crank or cam driver 49.The crank is provided with a hub portion 50 and a tapped hole isprovided in the hub and the shaft to receive set screw 51 to hold thecrank in the desired position on the shaft and to cause the crank to berotated with the shaft. n the outer ends of crank arm 49 are rollers 52and 53 which are rotatably supported by pins 54 and 55 for rotationrelative thereto. Pins 54 and 55 extend through the rollers and thecrank arm and the portion extending beyond the crank is staked orotherwise upset. The pins have enlarged heads 54a and 55a on their otherends which engage the outer ends of the rollers and hold the rollers onthe pins.

To transmit the rotating motion of crank 49 in a clockwise direction toarm 32, cam 56 is pivotally mounted on arm 32 by stub shaft 57. Coilspring 58 resiliently biases the cam to the position shown in FIGURE 1against pin 36 which in this case functions as a stop to limit therotation of cam 56. Coil spring 58 is connected between end 56b of thecam and pin 59 attached to the arm. Th-us spring 58 will resilientlyresist rotation of cam 56 around stub shaft 57 in a counterclockwisedirection.

The portion 56a of the cam on the opposite side of stub shaft 57 fromend 56b is positioned to be engaged alternately by rollers 52 and 53carried by crank 49 as the crank is rotated clockwise by shaft 47. Wheneither of the rollers engages this portion of cam, the cam beingresiliently held against counterclockwise rotation on its pivot 57 byspring 58, will move the arm 32 clockwise with the crank. The arm willcontinue rotating with the crank in a clockwise direction until arm 32strikes the front stop 41. Since the arm cannot continue to rotate pastthis point, crank arm 49 will pivot cam 56 around stub shaft 57,overcoming the force of spring 58, allowing the crank to move out ofengagement with the cam (as shown by the dotted lines in FIGURE 1). Oncethe cam is clear of the crank arm, spring 60, which is attached to thearm and to mounting plate 10, will return the arm in a counterclockwisedirection back into engagement with rear stop 42.

Thus, with this arrangement, crank arm 49 and shaft 47 and consequentlymotor 45 can be arranged to rotate through the same angle of rotationeach time the motor is energized, yet the distance traveled by arm 32can be easily adjusted to deliver the number of stamps desired.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention knives are providedfor cutting off the vended portion of the stamp web which remains closedwhen the machine is not operating but which are moved to the openposition and held in the open position while the stamps to be vended arebeing moved through the opening between the knives. Then after the stampstrip advancing portion of the operating cycle of the machine iscompleted, the knives are allowed to close, severing the vended stampsfrom the stamp web, and, also, closing the opening from the outlet ofthe machine to the stamp web to prevent pilfering of the stamps in themachine. This is the final event of the machine cycle.

As shown in FIGURE 2 of this embodiment, movable knife blade 22 ispivotally attached at one end to stationary blade 17 by pin 65 andpivotally mounted at the other end to plate 66 by pin 67. Mounting platehas integrally attached thereto a laterally extending end plate 68 towhich plate 66 is slidably attached by pins 69 and 70. The pins areattached to plate 66 and extend through slots 71 and 72 in plate 68. Theupper end of plate 66 is connected to plunger 7 3 of solenoid 74 mountedon the upper left hand corner of mounting plate 10. Connecting the plateto the solenoid plunger is L-shaped arm 75 which is connected to theplunger by elongated pin 76.

If desired, a mechanical counter 77 can be mounted adjacent the solenoidwith its counter arm 78 connected to pin 76 to count the number ofcyclesof operation of the vending machine.

Connected between end plate 68 and moving plate 66 is coil spring 79which resiliently resists upward move ment of plate 66 and which exertsa force urging plate 66 downwardly to close the knives. With thisarrangement, then, by energizing solenoid 74 to move its plungerupwardly, plate 66 will be carried upwardly causing movable knife blade22 to pivot around pin 65 and provide an opening between the knivesthrough which the stamp web can be fed by arm 32 and fingers 26. As soonas the solenoid is de-energized at the completion of the cycle, spring79 will move plate 66 downwardly forcing movable knife blade 22 to movepast stationary knife blade 17 and to cut off the vended portion of thestamp web. The knives then will remain in the closed position until thesolenoid is re-energized when the machine begins another vendingoperation.

A suitable electrical circuit for operating this embodiment of the stampvending machine is illustrated schematically in FIGURE 6. The circuit isshown when the machine is at rest and not operating. Normally openswitches b, 85c and 85d are part of a three-switch relay 85. Power linesA and B provide the desired electrical energy for operating the machine.

Power line A is connected to contact 1 of push button switch 86. Contact2 of this switch is in turn connected to the common contact of switch 87which has its contact 2 which is normally open when no stamp web is inplace but closed when one is in place ready for vending, connected toone end of coil 85a of relay 85 by line 87a. Power line A also isconnected to the common contact of switch 85b by line 88. The normallyopen contact 2 of this switch then is connected to the same end of coilend 85a as is switch 87, by line 88a. Thus, power can be supplied to oneend of coil 85 along two routes.

Power line B is connected to coin accumulator 89 and by lines 90 and 92to the common contacts of switches 91 and 850 respectively. The coinaccumulator is not shown in detail and will not be described as it formsno part of this invention. Various types of coin accumulators are on themarket which can be used to control the operation of this type machine.The function of the coin accumulator is to electrically connect powerline B to line 89a to supply power to one end of coil 85a of the relaywhen one or more coins of the proper denomination have been depositedtherein.

Switch 91 whose common contact is connected to power line B by line 90has its normally closed contact 1 connected to the common contact ofswitch 85d of the relay by line 90a. The normally open contact 2 of thisswitch is connected through line 90b to line 89a which connects it tothe end of coil 85a of the relay. Switch 850 whose common contact isconnected to power line B by line 92 has its normally open contact 2connected by lines 92a, 93 and 94 to motor 45 and knife solenoid 74.Power line A is also connected to motor 45 and solenoid 74 by lines 96and 97 respectively. The motor and solenoid are connected also to thenormally open contact 2 of switch 91 through lines 93, 94 and 95.

In operation the circuit functions as follows: When a coin or coinshaving sufiicient value are deposited in coin accumulator 89 for theaccumulator to electrically connect line 89a with power line B, powerwill be supplied to one end of coil 85a of the relay. The persondesiring stamps can then operate push button 86 connecting contacts 1and 2 thereof which will electrically connect power line A throughswitch 87 and line 87a to the end of coil 85:: opposite that connectedto power line B through the coin accumulator and energize the coil. Theenergized coil will close switches 85b, 85c and 85d moving them toposition 2 as indicated by the dotted lines in the drawings. Power lineA will then be connected to the end of coil 85a through line 88, switch85b and line 88a. Further, switch 85d will connect power line B to theopposite end of coil 85a of the relay through line 90, switch 91, whichis still in its normally closed position 1, and lines 90a, 90b and 89a.This arrangement allows push button 86 to be released and coinaccumulator 89 to break its electrical connection between power line Band line 89a without de-energizing coil 85.

With switch 85c closed by the coil power lines A and B will be connectedacross motor 45 and solenoid 74. The motor will begin to run, turningcrank arm 49 to begin the vending operation, and solenoid 74 will raiseplate 66, pivoting movable knife blade 42 away from stationary knifeblade 17 to provide an opening through which the stamp web can be moved.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, as the crank arm rotates, moving one rollerinto engagement with cam 56 on arm '32, to move it through its strokeinto engagement with stop 41, the other roller on the crank will moveinto engagement with lever arm 91a of switch 91. As the crank armcontinues to rotate it will move operating arm 91a moving switch 91toposition 2. This breaks the connection from power line B to coil 85adie-energizing the relay. Switches 85b, 85c and 85d will then return totheir position 1 or normally open positions and power will no longer besupplied to motor 45 and solenoid 74 through line 92 and switch 850.Power will continue to be supplied to the motor and solenoid, however,through switch 91 and line 95 since the roller on the crank arm isholding switching 91 in position 2. As the motor continues to run androtate the crank arm, the roller thereon will start moving downwardallowing operating arm 91a to return to its original position and switch91 to return to its normally closed position 1. When this occurs theconnection between power lines A and B across the motor 45 and solenoidwill be broken. By this time, of course, arm 32 will have completed itsoscillation over track 16 and will have moved the pre-selected number ofstamps through the opening between the knife blades and when thesolenoid is de-energized, movable knife blade 22 will be pulled downwardby spring 79 cutting off the vended portion of stamps. Preferably motor45 is provided with sufiicient inertia to cause crank 49 to continuerotating after switch 91 has interrupted the power supply to the motorand move far enough to return switch 91 to its normally closed positionpreparatory to another cycle of operation.

Empty switch 87 is provided in the circuit to keep the machine fromoperating when the stamp supply is exhausted. Electrically this isaccomplished by locating the switch between push button switch 86 andrelay 85, as'

shown in FIGURE 6, to keep the relay from being actuated when the emptyswitch has been moved to its normally open position 1.

Physically this is accomplished by positioning switch 87, as shown inFIGURE 1, with its operating arm 87a in engagement with stamp web 14through one of the spaces between the plates making up track 16. Theswitch is positioned so the stamp web will hold the switch closed, itsposition 2, the switch being a normally open type. Then when the end ofthe stamp web passes the upper end of track 16, the operating arm of theswitch will be released and the switch will move to its normally openposition I, prevent any subsequent energization of the relay by the pushbutton.

The switch will open probably while the stamp web is being moved by arm32, i.e., somewhere during a cycle of operation. This will not interferewith completion of the cycle, however, since at this point this switchhas been bypassed by lines 88 and 88a through switch 85b of the rela Fi'om the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth,together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherentto the apparatus and structure.

10 a It will be understood that certain features and subconi 'binationsare of utility and may be employed without reference to other featuresand subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope ofthe claims. As many possible embodiments-may be made of the inventionwithout departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood thatall matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is tobe interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is: 1. A stampvending machine for vending preselected portions of an elongated stampweb having spaced rows of perforations extending laterally thereacross,comprising, a track with a surface for slidably supporting a portion ofsuch stamp web, a plurality of fingers arranged in side-'by-siderelationship, in a row laterally across a portion of the track, eachspaced from the next adjacent finger a distance less than the distancebetween perforations in the stamp web to be vended and each fingerhaving a width less than the width of a perforation in the web and a webengaging portion shaped to enter each perforation it encounters; meanspivotally mounting the fingers for independent pivotal movement of eachfinger, to allow the web engaging portion of each finger to enter eachperforation it encounters and move the web along with it when moving inone direction and to allow each finger to move freely laterally to theextent allowed by adjacent fingers and the mounting means, resilientmeans operatively associated with each finger to bias the fingerindependently into engagement with a stamp web and to move theperforation engaging portion thereof into each perforation itencounters, and means for moving the fingers parallel to the track tomove a stamp web along the track in one direction, said web supportingtrack including a plurality of plates having a thicknessless than thelateral width of a perforation in a stamp web to be vended, meansmounting the plates in the machine in spaced, parallel relations-hipwith one edge surface of each plate positioned parallel to the directionof travel of a stamp web to partially support such stamp web as it Ismoved along the track by the fingers, said plates being spaced apart adistance at least as great as the lateral width of a perforation andlocated to support the portion of a stamp web engaged by the fingers toprovide uniform support for this portion of a stamp web, to provideopenings in the stamp web supporting track into which the perforationengaging portion of a finger can extend when the perforation engaged isbetween two plates, and to allow debris carried onto the track by theweb to fall out of the way between the plates.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 in which the stamp we bsupporting surfaces of the plates are longi tudinally concave to providea track having a concave web supporting surface and further providedwith means for resiliently holding a stamp web in engagement with thetrack, said means being located to maintain the portion of a stamp weblocated between it and the fingers in compression as the fingers aremoving such stamp web along the track.

3. A stamp vending machine for vending portions of a stamp web mountedin a roll in the machine and having spaced rows of perforationsextending laterally thereacross, the machine comprising, a track forslida'bly supporting the portion of such stamp web extending from theroll thereof to the outlet of the machine, said track including, aplurality of thin plates, each having a longitudinally concave edgesurface extending from a point adjacent the stamp roll to a pointadjacent the outlet of the machine for supporting a portion of suchstamp web,

said concave edge surface being convex in cross-section means formounting the plates in the machine with at least a portion of the platesspaced apart a distance at least as great as the lateral width of theperforations in the stamp web to be vended to reduce the surface area ofa stamp web engaged by the track, and to allow any debris carried by astamp web to fall through the space between the plates, 'means forengaging and moving the stamp web along the track, including a pluralityof fingers, means mounting the fingers for independent pivotal movemen-tin adjacent, side-by-side relationship in a row laterally across theportion of the track formed by the spaced apart track plates, eachfinger having a portion for entering any perforation it encounters in astamp web, and means for resiliently biasing each finger independentlytoward a stamp web on the track to move the perforation engaging portionthereon into any perforation it encounters, said mounting means allowinglimited lateral movement of the perforation engaging portion of eachfinger to permit any such portion that enters a perforation and engagesthe convex web supporting surface of a track plate to be carmnedlaterally of the plate to further enter the perforation, means foroscillating the fingers along the stamp web supporting sunface of thetrack to move a stamp web toward the outlet a preselected distance witheach oscillation, and means for maintaining the portion of a stamp webbetween the fingers and the outlet of the track in compression as thefingers are moving the web toward the outlet.

4. The vending machine of claim 3 in which the spaced apart plates havea thickness no greater than one half the width of a perforation in thestamp web it suports.

p 5. A stamp vending machine for vending portions of a stamp web mountedin a roll in the machine and having spaced rows of perforationsextending laterally thereacross, the machine comprising, a track forslidably supporting the portion of such stamp web extending from theroll thereof to the outlet of the machine, said track including, aplurality of thin plates, each having a longitudinally concave edgesurface convex in cross-section and having a thickness no greater thanhalf the width of a perforation in the web it supports, said platesbeing arranged with their concave surfaces extending from a pointadjacent the stamp roll to a point adjacent the outlet of the machinefor supporting a portion of such stamp web, means for mounting theplates in the machine with at least a portion of the plates spaced aparta distance at least as great as the lateral width of the perforations inthe stamp web to be vended to reduce the surface area of a stamp webengaged by the track, and to allow any debris carried by a stamp web tofall through the space between the plates, means for engaging and movingthe stamp web along the track, including a plurality of fingers, meansmounting the fingers for independent pivotal movement in adjacent,side-'by-side relationship in a row laterally across the portion of thetrack formed 12 by the spaced apart track plates, each finger being freeto move laterally on the mounting means, stop means on the mountingmeans to limit such lateral movement, said stop means being spaced apartsufiiciently to allow the fingers to shift laterally a distance aboutequal to the lateral width of a perforation in the stamp web the fingersare moving, each finger having a portion for entering any perforation itencounters in a stamp web, and means for resilien-tly biasing eachfinger independently toward a stamp web on the track to move theperforation engaging portion thereon into any perforation it encounters,means for oscillating the fingers along the stamp web supporting surfaceof the track to move a stamp web toward the outlet a preselecteddistance with each oscillation, and means for maintaining the portion ofa stamp web between the fingers and the outlet of the track incompression as the fingers are moving the web toward the outlet.

6. A track for slidably supporting a laterally perforated stamp web asit is moved from a roll thereof to the outlet of a stamp vending machineby a plurality of perforation engaging fingers independently mounted forpivotal movement into the perforations and for limited lateral movementrelative thereto, comprising, a plurality of thin plates having athickness no greater than half the lateral width of a perforation insuch stamp web, each plate having one longitudinally concave edgesunface for supporting the stamp web, and means for assembling theplates in side-by-side, parallel, spaced relationship with their concavesurfaces positioned to extend from a point adjacent the stamp roll to apoint adjacent the outlet of the machine to provide a track to slidablysupport the portion of a stamp web extending from a roll thereof to theoutlet of the machine, said plates being further characterized *by theirstamp web supporting edges being convex in cross-section to exert alateral force on any perforation engaging finger that may engage a plateedge as it enters a perforation to thereby cause such finger to furtherenter the perforation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,043,737 11/1912Small 83-278 X 1,124,577 1/1915 Allen 226-71 X 1,162,128 11/1915 Briegelet a1 83-278 X 1,410,955 3/1922 Pruitt 83-278 X 2,848,222 8/1958 Lewis226-71 3,074,607 1/1963 Casey et a1 226-62 3,176,562 4/1965 Fitzgerald83-278 X ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner.

1. A STAMP VENDING MACHINE FOR VENDING PRESELECTED PORTIONS OF ANELONGATED STAMP WEB HAVING SPACED ROWS OF PERFORATIONS EXTENDINGLATERALLY THEREACROSS, COMPRISING, A TRACK WITH A SURFACE FOR SLIDABLYSUPPORTING A PORTION OF SUCH STAMP WEB, A PLURALITY OF FINGERS ARRANGEDIN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP, IN A ROW LATERALLY ACROSS A PORTION OF THETRACK, EACH SPACED FROM THE NEXT ADJACENT FINGER A DISTANCE LESS THANTHE DISTANCE BETWEEN PERFORATIONS IN THE STAMP WEB TO BE VENDED AND EACHFINGER HAVING A WIDTH LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF A PERFORATION IN THE WEBAND A WEB ENGAGING PORTION SHAPED TO ENTER EACH PERFORATION ITENCOUNTERS; MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING THE FINGERS FOR INDEPENDENT PIVOTALMOVEMENT OF EACH FINGER, TO ALLOW THE WEB ENGAGING PORTION OF EACHFINGER TO ENTER EACH PERFORATION IT ENCOUNTERS AND MOVE THE WEB ALONGWITH IT WHEN MOVING IN ONE DIRECTION AND TO ALLOW EACH FINGER TO MOVEFREELY LATERALLY TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY ADJACENT FINGERS AND THEMOUNTING MEANS, RESILIENT MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH FINGERTO BIAS THE FINGER INDEPENDENTLY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH A STAMP WEB AND TOMOVE THE PERFORATION ENGAGING PORTION THEREOF INTO EACH PERFORATION ITENCOUNTERS, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE FINGERS PARALLEL TO THE TRACK TOMOVE A STAMP WEB ALONG THE TRACK IN ONE DIRECTION, SAID WEB SUPPORTINGTRACK INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF PLATES HAVING A THICKNESS LESS THAN THELATERAL WIDTH OF A PERFORATION IN A STAMP WEB TO BE VENDED, MEANSMOUNTING THE PLATES IN THE MACHINE IN SPACED, PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITHONE EDGE SURFACE OF EACH PLATE POSITIONED PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OFTRAVEL OF A STAMP WEB TO PARTIALLY SUPPORT SUCH STAMP WEB AS IT IS MOVEDALONG THE TRACK BY THE FINGERS, SAID PLATES BEING SPACED APART ADISTANCE AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE LATERAL WIDTH OF A PERFORATION ANDLOCATED TO SUPPORT THE PORTION OF A STAMP WEB ENGAGED BY THE FINGERS TOPROVIDE UNIFORM SUPPORT FOR THIS PORTION OF A STAMP WEB, TO PROVIDEOPENINGS IN THE STAMP WEB SUPPORTING TRACK INTO WHICH THE PERFORATIONENGAGING PORTION OF A FINGER CAN EXTEND WHEN THE PERFORATION ENGAGED ISBETWEEN TWO PLATES, AND TO ALLOW DEBRIS CARRIED ONTO THE TRACK BY THEWEB TO FALL OUT OF THE WAY BETWEEN THE PLATES.